Judge attacks ambulance-chasing law firms for stoking claims

An appeal court judge has attacked ambulance-chasing law firms who encourage claimants with “accident at work” adverts.

Lord Justice Jackson said the civil justice system existed to allow people who had suffered “genuine wrongs” to be compensated. He said the system did not exist to “service artificial claims” which had been “stirred up” by law firm advertisements.

The judge, who is based in the Court of Appeal in London, raised concerns in a ruling on a case involving a former miner from South Wales.

Graham Thomas had taken legal action after seeing an advertisement by a solicitors’ firm relating to compensation for injured ex-miners.

But Lord Justice Jackson questioned whether Mr Thomas, who was born in Glamorgan in 1957 and worked as miner between 1974 and 1991, should have launched the litigation. “The civil justice system exists to enable injured parties to recover compensation for genuine wrongs. It does not exist to service artificial claims stirred up by advertisements.”

Thomas had already received a payout under a compensation scheme, but, Lord Justice Jackson said, had been “recruited” by a firm of solicitors which told him that he could be entitled to more money.

His appeal was dismissed.